When I began looking at colleges as a high school senior, I was full of visions of new people and new adventures, good times and blustery fall days walking around campus.  But there was one problem – What college was right for me?  Unfortunatley my family didnt make life easier for me since none of them had attended college before, and being from a family of farmers, that was O.K.  But for me, farming wasn’t an option – so I had to do a lot of research and finally at my wits end consulted the first person I should have gone to in the beginning, the school’s Guidance Counselor.  He helped me navigate the language of ‘credit hours and payment plans’.

When a friend of mine was in process of getting married, she asked her Mother and soon to be Mother-in-law to help with the arrangements.  In the long run, she would have been better to just assign each their own list of roles and call it a day, but the two of them disagreed on everything, one thought an outdoor wedding would be more romantic, the other thought a small church wedding was what tradition called for, and my friend was left spending her time playing negotiator between the two of them for the entire process.  We’ve all been in those awkward family disagreements, everyone seems to have their own opinion of what’s right and wrong in the situation.

In honor of National Nurses Week, the following post details the mission that Nurses in Palliative and Hospice Care have committed themselves to.  The information was taken from The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association website1.

Palliative care can be offered anywhere patients are seen in any stage of illness. Palliative care programs are seen most often in hospitals, though there are programs being developed for outpatient and other areas.

Often times when we are about to make the decisions of life we consult our family.  Sometimes the advice is good, sometimes its bad, and sometimes advice can get just down right ugly (thanks for that home-perm advice mom!)  And everyone seems to think their advice is the ‘right’ advice, especially on personal decisions like healthcare.  To help diffuse some of the disagreements that can rise up, start on the right path by naming a healthcare agent and communicating your wishes early.

The great Erma Bombeck once wrote:

“I was a “thousand points of light” long before volunteerism lighted up the sky and had an official name. I had my lights short-circuited, burned at both ends and occasionally punched out. I hang in there because generally volunteerism is a dazzling galaxy of gems that streak across the sky and illuminate the world when it falters and cannot find its way.”

On April 15th, State of the Heart partnered with The Brethren Retirement Center, Gary Flinn, LLC, & Western and Southern Financial for a Your Decisions Matter Seminar.  I was over joyed to see 22 members of the community voicing their questions and finding the answers from local experts.  Thank you to all who attended!

Below is the conclusion to our 2-part series blog.  Our hope is that the information below will be useful to make your decisions known to family, friends, and your healthcare provider.

Preparing Your Advance Directives

Before you prepare your advance directives:

As National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) nears (April 16th is the official day) I thought it interesting to provide an excerpt from one of the articles on the NHDD website. As I sipped my morning coffee, the title of the article caused me to swallow hard and reexamine how much I really talk about end of life planning verses other ‘hot button issues’ in the world today.

“National Survey Indicates People More Likely to Talk About Drug Use and Sex than End of Life Planning.”

You know that feeling of being overwhelmed in the Grocery Store isle?  There are at least 70 different varieties of Spaghetti Sauce, some have traditional, roasted garlic, vegetable, mushrooms, herbs and cheese, it seems as if you need a guided tour just to figure out which jar to even pick up off the shelf!

You may be caring for someone who needs assistance with day-to-day chores and tasks, but can still make their own decisions about personal matters such as financial affairs, medical care, and household issues.

Knowing and understanding your loved one’s values and wishes will be important as you become responsible for making decisions for them. Advance care planning is the process that allows you to make decisions about the care you would want to receive if you happen to become unable to speak for yourself. Advance directives are tools that enable an individual to write down their preferences on a legal form and appoint someone to speak for them if they are no longer able. A living will, healthcare power of attorney, financial power of attorney, and a plan for funeral arrangements can help ensure peace of mind for your loved one and for you, the caregiver.